Though early reports suggested the Indiana Pacers were likely going to re-sign Myles Turner in free agency, this apparently may have never been the case. According to head coach Rick Carlisle, the Pacers "never had a chance to counter" the Milwaukee Bucks' offer to Turner, likely meaning it was always going to be difficult for the team to bring him back (h/t the Green Light podcast ).
“Losing Myles Turner is a significant loss for our team. I mean, the guy has been a terrific player; he had a great season," Carlisle said. "Look, we were talking to [his agent] about him returning, and really kind of out of nowhere, Milwaukee decided to waive Damian Lillard and stretch his contract... I think what probably happened –– and this is part of negotiations in any sport –– a team will say, 'Hey look, we have this offer, it's this much over this many years, but if we make this offer, we need to know that you're going to take it and not shop it.' I believe that is what probably happened with Milwaukee. They just jumped at it, and there was never a chance to counter. Those things happen. And when they do, you just gotta keep going.”
Turner's departure was shocking and took Pacers fans aback. He had been with the team since they drafted him in 2015, and he was a big part of their recent success, even if he struggled in the NBA Finals. To make matters worse for the team, he joined a division rival in the Bucks, even when they had not been linked to him previously.
With the Texas native officially gone, the Pacers will have to figure out how to replace him. It is going to be borderline impossible to do it this offseason, and based on the moves they have already made so far, it seems that the team knows that. However, it might be a big challenge even beyond next season, and things could get really bad for Indiana very quickly.
The Pacers may not be able to replace Myles Turner
As it stands, it seems that the Pacers are unofficially having tryouts for the starting center job next season. Furthermore, they may rely on multiple big men to match Turner's impact in a committee. So far, it is fair to assume the Pacers will roll out a combination of James Wiseman, Jay Huff, Tony Bradley, and Isaiah Jackson to fill Turner's void. This is a good idea in theory, but only if they all play their roles well.
There are few big men in the NBA who can stretch the floor and protect the rim as well as Turner can, and it was always going to be tough for the Pacers to find someone with a similar skillset if they lost him in free agency. By acquiring Huff from the Memphis Grizzlies, they landed probably the closest realistic option, but it remains to be seen what he can do in an expanded role.
Each center the Pacers currently have rostered brings something different to the table, and they are all unique in their own way. While not ideal, this is an exciting time for the Pacers as they get to experiment a bit and see what works in what most expect to be a gap year next season.
Ultimately, no matter how poorly he played in the NBA Finals, the Pacers' best move was always going to be to re-sign Turner. At the very least, if he was not able to turn things around, trading him would have been an option as he is an appealing big man for many teams. However, based on Carlisle's comments, it seems like the team never truly had this option, making Turner's departure even worse than fans realized.